Egg Replacement Made Easy: Goodbye Eggs, Hello Steamed Chickpea Flour
- Think Ingredients
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
A clean-label cookie manufacturer, known for their soft-baked cookies made with simple, recognizable ingredients, found itself stuck between two major challenges...
The Challenge: Rising Egg Costs & Shifting Consumer Preferences
Their biggest issue? The volatile egg market. With eggs being one of the main components in their recipes, fluctuating prices week after week were making it nearly impossible to stay profitable enough. They needed a smarter, label-friendly egg replacement that wouldn’t compromise on taste, texture, or their brand promise of using whole, clean ingredients.
“There are weeks where we lose profit just based on egg prices alone,” the owner of the company explained. “Eggs are something we value on our label, but this kind of instability just isn’t sustainable for us.”
At the same time, they had just completed a consumer taste panel, and the feedback was clear. While customers still loved their overall cookie experience, a few improvements were needed based on their feedback:
Cookies were drying out too quickly — especially after the first day, leading to a shorter perceived shelf life.
A crispier base was preferred — panelists noted that the cookies sometimes felt a little too soft or soggy on the underside, and a bit more structure would improve the eating experience.
Between rising ingredient costs and changing consumer expectations, the company knew they had to make some smart updates without adding any artificial ingredients or straying from their clean-label identity.
A Smart Solution: Steamed Chickpea Flour
That’s when they reached out to Think Ingredients to find a solution. The company needed to act fast and didn’t have the internal resources to start a full reformulation from scratch. They weren’t even sure where to begin. So, when they found out we have a full R&D team ready to support projects like this, they felt reassured.
It was clear that they needed a solution that could check all the boxes: maintain a clean label, preserve the cookies’ signature taste, and help them get a handle on rising egg costs. Luckily, we had just the ingredient, a simple yet powerful solution that didn’t require a full reformulation.
Our recommendation? Steamed chickpea flour.
Steamed chickpea flour replaces many of the
functional roles of eggs. Bringing structure and binding power to the dough, helping reduce the total amount of egg needed. At the same time, its strong water-holding capacity helped keep the cookies moist, extending shelf life and maintaining freshness. It also contributed to a more satisfying bite that consumers were craving, a firm base and a soft, tender center.
We worked closely with them to adjust dosage levels, explain the functionality of the steamed chickpea flour, and fine-tune the recipe to get the best possible results. We also supported them with small-batch testing and helped them make adjustments based on real-time feedback from their team for a smooth transition from development to production.
The best part? They didn’t have to eliminate eggs completely. They were able to keep both eggs and flour on their label which was important to them for maintaining the identity of a traditional cookie while still cutting costs and improving profitability.
Curious how Steamed Chickpea Flour will work in your product? Learn more:
The Outcome: Better Margins, Better Cookies
With the reformulated product, the results spoke for themselves. The cookies stayed moist longer, the bottoms crisped up just right, and the company no longer felt pressured by weekly swings in egg prices.
Their profit margins improved without the need to add cheap and quality-cutting ingredients. They didn’t need to remove eggs entirely, just use a smart alternative to bring some balance back to the bottom line.
“It was an easy decision once we saw what it could do,” the owner said. “And the fact that it actually improved our cookies, made it a no brainer.”
Now, they have the resources, time, and financial flexibility to start experimenting on their own with steamed chickpea flour in future innovations. They’ve already begun testing a flourless, egg-free, gluten-free cookie in hopes to expand their product line.
Let’s Think Differently About Formulations
At Think Ingredients, we partner with brands to uncover clean label solutions that work. Whether you're dealing with formulation challenges, rising costs, or ingredient instability, we’re here to help.
Let’s talk. We’d love to help you bring your next idea to life.
